Toronto. My Winnipeg.

"I think My Winnipeg is the finest, funniest, saddest film I've seen in Toronto or at any festival this year," announces Time's Richard Corliss.

The night of its premiere, "Guy Maddin did live narration for his first 'documentary,' a valentine to his hometown," writes Ben Kenigsberg for Time Out Chicago. "It's Maddin's funniest film since Cowards Bend the Knee, and - as was to be expected - it's perhaps the loosest use of the term 'documentary' in film history."

"Hell, let's be honest: My Winnipeg isn't about Winnipeg at all," writes Todd Brown at Twitch. "This is a film purely about Maddin himself as presented by himself and as such it will be embraced and beloved by Maddin enthusiasts - of which there are several around here - while completely baffling those outside the cult."

"My Winnipeg taps into his last film, the eerie and humorously-wonderful Brand Upon the Brain!, and merges personal experience with city history through silent film and narration," writes Monika Bartyzel at Cinematical. "[T]he poetic, repetitive narration... has the same tone and liveliness of Brand.... [T]he continuing, roaring laughter from those around me assured me that this is more than just a cult gem. It's a memorable blending of art, experience and history."

"Frankly, a little Maddin goes a long way for me," writes Scott Tobias at the AV Club. "Based on the recreated family scenes alone, I'm kind of hoping that he makes a permanent transition from silent-movie pastiche to early sound, but that's probably not going to happen."

AJ Schnack gathers more reviews.

Conversations about My Winnipeg with Guy Maddin: Joe Friesen (Globe and Mail) and Chris Knight (National Post).

Earlier: Jonathan Marlow.

Update, 9/14: "[I]t is outrageous, illogical, hilarious, and imaginative, in short, Maddin in top form," writes Howard Feinstein for Filmmaker.

Update, 9/27: Jason McBride in Cinema Scope: "Of course, this is no way to dispatch ghosts. And that's not really Maddin's aim. What he's really trying to figure out is how Winnipeg made him and how he, in turn, made it.... It's an incubator, a refuge. The train he rides keeps chugging along, its lethargic passengers lost in their dreams."



Posted by dwhudson at September 12, 2007 6:19 AM